Pao de Queijo

Yesterday afternoon Keith and I had a BBQ to attend. As a gluten free, vegetarian lady, with my vegetarian guy, going to other people’s homes for a meal can be slightly stressful. Luckily this was a potluck and the hostess made some veggies burgers (Keith can eat them, but unfortunately veggie burgers usually have wheat in them- and I didn’t want to risk something I couldn’t read the label on). There was Sabra Humus and Tostitos Tortilla Chips (both gluten free versions), as well as fruit and wine. I had a small lunch before we went, in case there was nothing safe. Since it was a potluck I decided to try baking these cheesy bread puffs that I found at Neighbor Food Blog:

[I only had 1/2 a cup of tapioca flour left, and when I went to the store they were all out. So I substituted 1/2 cup Bob’s all-purpose GF flour and 1 cup Bob’s GF Garbanzo Flour. This made the puffs less fluffy. But they still came out extremely delicious.]

2 eggs

1 cup queso fresco shredded cheese

[I used 1 cup of a Jack & Cheddar cheese mix, and it gave it a more crispy texture]

½ cup Parmesan cheese (You can use any combo of cheese…all parmesan, some cheddar, switch it up!)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine milk, oils, and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil (just a little one! It’ll boil over quickly if you let it go!) over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Stir tapioca flour into milk mixture. It will be sticky and look like something you’d never, ever want to put in your mouth. That’s okay. Keep on going!

Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed for about 3 minutes or until dough begins to smooth out and is cooled. You should be able to pinch the dough between your fingers without feeling like your thumbprints are being singed off.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until the egg is fully incorporated. Beat in cheese until fully combined.

Scoop mounded tablespoons of dough onto the parchment lined pan, leaving approximately an inch of space between each one. If the dough becomes too sticky, just dip the spoon in warm water between scoops.

Place the puffs in the oven and turn heat down to 350 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until balls are puffed and lightly browned. Serve warm. Puffs stay good for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in a toaster oven.

This was a simple batter to make. I made it a night ahead, and cooked 6 of them to try (I don’t like to bring something to someone without knowing that it is delicious and Keith never complains about being my taste tester). I put the batter in a tupperware in the fridge overnight. Then I baked them in the morning before we left. They came out just as wonderful and puffy the next day.

I’m going to make them again, but as a variation on the churro, so no cheese, and then roll them in cinnamon sugar (Keith’s churro-loving suggestion).